uk_lefty

Excellent work, bravo

Great looking bass! Similar to what I have in mind for a Hofner 189 body I picked up

The only rooms I've had to EQ for have mainly involved cutting bass because there's a big hollow stage that makes it sound boomy. I don't do extreme EQs anyways, I'm always everything centred and either bass and treble up,I'd slightly cut, or for the semi hollow and the fretless basses it's treble and bass flat and mids boosted. I tweak from there but it's rare that I'd need to.

On 11/10/2023 at 21:35, Dazed said:

They did seem to like a big hole

I haven't measured up yet but I'm seeing Epiphone Thunderbird pickups at good prices on eBay... Fingers crossed!

8 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Have you checked that the neck pocket is at least close to standard Fender dimensions?

Yes but as I've learned before there can still be a lot of variance. I went through three Fender/ Fender copy necks on my last bitsa to get one that both fit and was actually half decent. I'm going to find a neck I like and if needs be see if I can get it made to fit.

Here's what I have so far... 

I recently acquired a Hofner 189 body on eBay after a speculative low bid. It's "new old stock" so has never been used, not even neck or bridge holes drilled, but it's quite nicely aged and scuffed up. I need to start adding bits to make it into a functioning bass and wanted to hear from anyone who has or had one any of the pitfalls of this beast? It's a bit of an oddity in that it's a jazz style bass but the pickup routs are MASSIVE. Also wondering if there's anything else I should watch out for? I am definitely not looking to faithfully recreate the 189, far from it, but I'd like to be a little sympathetic to the origins of the body. 

Thanks!

On 10/10/2023 at 10:34, NeonMig said:

Ok so had the gig on Saturday, was a blast! The AMB 500 performed flawlessly through a beat up Ampeg 4x10, and I could really feel how effortlessly the Ashdown just filled the stage with sound through a pretty dense mix (crust/punk/thrash metal). Master volume was about halfway up, and I didn't need any monitor support. Great purchase, 10/10. I'll be using this for all my local shows going forward, it's a no-brainer.

 

I found that if I balanced the input correctly, the compressor would work just fine without any real volume difference, but the input does need to keep being adjusted according to any EQ or drive changes. It takes a bit of a balancing act, but absolutely worth it because the tone is GLORIOUS. Clear, articulate, immediate power, with a lovely drive and top-end sparkle I've been sorely missing from my class D amps. I didn't use the sub harmonic at all, but can see it coming in handy for certain other types of shows.

 

That video that Mark Gooday posted where he says 'Look, class D amps are great and all, we make and sell loads of them, but they'll never be the same as a proper A/B amp and... come on guys, this is a one-hand carry' really made an impression on me. It honestly wasn't much more hassle than any of my other local gigs. 

Awesome photo

Body has arrived! This may take some time as I'm coming out of some expensive months and I want to shift some gear too, but I'm looking forward to making something unique with this!

If I had a gig in Dublin coming up I'd be buying this!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394925054013?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=IpdWCYRCSCi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=XRJhsZSpS5O&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Well, here goes again...

I bought a 1970's Hofner 189 body on eBay for a good price. It's new old stock, doesn't even have holes drilled for the bridge or neck, yet it's nicely aged. Sunburst lefty body, two huge pickup routes and controls route. Originally I thought I could finally do the unlined fretless I want... but recently I've been thinking it would be better with Thunderbird style chrome pickups and a right-handed maple fender neck. Tough decisions ahead! 

I made up a bitsa in the past and learned a lot in the process. While the bitsa previous was a nice bass I just never quite got there with it and think a bit more patience and money thrown at it could have got a better result. 

I've been toying with getting the 2x10 for a while... following this with interest! 

On 26/02/2021 at 12:57, uk_lefty said:

I was in the crowd at the Reebok stadium when Coldplay filmed their video for Fix You. This was before Coldplay disappeared up their own derrière so far they came out their mouths and did it all over again. It was an OK gig. A friend from work who came with me got lifted up on to another friends shoulders so if I can ever be bothered to freeze the video and look for her I may be able to see the top of my head. 

By massive coincidence the band I'm now in covers this song... and did before I joined so it wasn't me pushing for it!

Most people try to sell over multiple platforms. If it's on Facebook and you're going to go pick it up, great. With Reverb if you pay for it and it's a scam you've got a level of protection. You don't have that with Facebook.

Came down from Hertfordshire to play the Brewhouse in Cardiff last night. Incredible experience, absolutely packed venue in the heart of the city centre where it's just utter carnage around all the bars. Great gig, decent crowd, probably going back next year. 

Venue looks good. Wales won in the rugger so the mood is good. If you're remotely near Cardiff tonight we'll rock your socks off. 

Jeez my eldest brother had this on 45 

On 02/10/2023 at 12:31, dudewheresmybass said:

it well and truly hits the spot through my marshall dbs rig

The amps my teenage self lusted after!! 

5 hours ago, JPJ said:

I had my Overwater Perception defretted  and refinished by David Wilson. The bass had an ebony fretboard so Dave used some ebony veneer to fill the slots and they are now hardly noticeable under stage lights. 

How much were you looking at paying for that job, if you don't mind me asking? Just ballpark...

Overrated: Sansamp. I just don't like the sound. I get it, I understand why it's popular, but it's just not for me. 

Underrated: Fender Bronco modelling bass amp, really good bit of kit and if you can get one secondhand snap it up! Boss GT-10B multi effects, yes it's the size of an aircraft carrier and some guy on Talkbass had to make his own edit software for it but that was one very, very serious bass multi-fx pedal that nobody seems to talk about. I got a Helix Stomp which is more modern and does more, but the Boss had better stock bass sounds. 

Our second foreign gig of the year, this time Wales!! The Brewhouse in Cardiff. 9pm on Saturday. Indie rock and pop goes rock 

SOLD PENDING

Donner power pack to power your pedal board.

8x 9v DC at 100mA 

1x 12v DC at 500mA

1x 18v DC at 500mA

8 connecting cables and mains plug included. There is velcro on this to attach it on top of under your board. 

Recently upgraded because I'm fussy. Will post at cost or you can collect. 

Sorry this has now gone to a new home.

My number 1, the US Stingray 3 band EQ. The pickguard is a custom mirror pickguard by Gig.ink with the band logo. The sticker is a nod to Sir Paul. I'm not one for putting stickers on my basses but for some reason I just really wanted to do this. 

I've got the itch again... I really want an unlined fretless but cash is tight at the moment. I've got my eye on a few possibilities: buying a decent bass body and having someone make a neck for me to spec, or buying a good value second hand bass and having it defretted or ideally board ripped off and nice unlined board added. Failing that, just a professional defret.

I'm trying to get a rough idea of cost for these options:

Make a jazz style neck with an unlined fretless board;

Defret a fretted bass and finish nicely;

Take the fretboard off a bass and replace with a nice unlined board.

Any inputs gratefully received, and may stop me doing something stupid. Thanks!